Fruit juice extracting machine



D. A. WALLACE ETAL FRUIT JUICE EXTRACTING MACHINE July 18, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 9, 1946 July 18, 1950 D. A. WALLACE ETAL I FRUIT JUICE EXTRACTINGVMACH INE 3 SheetsSheet 2 Filed May 9, 1946 D. A. WALLACE ET AL 2,515,748

FRUIT JUICE EXTRACTING MACHINE July 18, 1950 Filed May 9, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR -J41/Ld 1?: WzZZ-zce, Egg/rioaJZ/Yemla 85A WCW ATTORN EY Patented July 18, 1950 OFF'ICE Fanrrwrcs EXTRACTlNG MACHINE.

David A. Wallace, Grosse Pointe Farms, and Raw mond E. Hewlett, Detroit, Mich, assignors to Hewlett Manufacturing Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Applicationltliay 9 1946, Serial No. 668,566

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improved apparatus for. extracting juices from fruits.

. Heretofore devices of complicated structure and operation have been employed to automatical-1y perform thi function. It is an object of our invention to provide a simplified. mechanism for this purpose. Simplicity is desirable because of. relatively low manufacturing cost, cleanliness', and uninterrupted performance.

The art discloses that. the operation of extracting. juices from fruits comprises the successive steps of; transporting, slicing, squeezing and discharging the fruit. Separate cooperating mechanisms are usually provided for each of these operations. We have provided one moving medium which controls each of these operations. In our invention we have provided a. single means which is themoving medium for'the whole fruit and-its component segments remaining after its slicing.

A pair of cooperative endless chains or belts are proposed herein as the moving medium to which we have referred.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of our device.

Fig. 2 is a ection on the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figz'3'is an elevational view of the device from therear with theback cover plate removed and showing the mechanical means for imparting motion to the operating parts of our device.

- Referring to the drawings Figures 1 and 2 i1- lustrate a fruit I0, such as an orange, which has entered ahopper II provided in the upper por-' tion of a housing I3 and is engaged by a pair of endlessly moving belt elements I2 rotatably mounted in housing IS. The elements I2 are preferably formed from chains but other flexible mediums could be substituted. A knife I3 is slidably mounted in housing I8 for reciprocation therein. The fruit I is shown as approaching the knife 13 which is reciprocated by means to be described herein and adapted to slice the fruit into hemispherical segments. A spreader, generally designated by the numeral I3 is located below the knife I3 and comprises a, pair of intersecting. concave sieve elements It which are adapted to separate pulp and other substantially solid matter from' extracted juices by permitting juice to drain through openings 40 provided therein. The knife I3 is received in a groove l4. located at the intersection of sieves I4 of the spreader I3. and. is slidably mounted therein. The spaced lower edges of the sieves are connected by an inclined trough I5 which is mount- 8d below sieves I4 and which is adapted to disventional crank It has been illustrated as keyed thereto. A pair of worms 2t having opposite, pitch are keyed to shaft I1 and adapted to mesh with a pair of worm wheels 21 each. keyed to one of the shafts '22 and 23, respectively. The shafts 22. and 23 are rotatably mounted in housing i8. Rotation of shaft [l and worms 2!) fixed thereto, rotates the worm wheels H in opposite directions. A pair of driving sprockets Ed is keyed to each of the shafts 22 and 23, respectively. Rollers 34 and 35 rotatably mounted on shaftsj 35 and 3'[ which are supported by the housing I8 guide belt elements, I2. Shafts 31 are illustratedas carried by bearing members 39 which are slidably received by slots i! provided in housing I8 and urged to tension belt elements I2 by springs.

43. The belt elements I2 are mounted on the; rollers 34 and 35 and the sprockets 24 and are driven by the sprockets. The pairiof concave sieve elements l4 referred to above are supported by housing l8 and the lower end portion of each sieve: is arcuately curved beneath one of the sprockets 24, respectively. Each sieve It which forms one sidewall of the separator I3 is so shaped and disposed as to form a chamber I4" of radually decreasing width between it and the adjacent belt element I2. As a fruit segment is moved through the chamber I4 it is progressively flattened and crushed and the rind is finally forcefully squeezed between the belt and the lower arcuate part of the adjacent sieve as the belt passes around the sprocket 23.

A spur'gear '25 is keyed to shaft ii and engages a gear 26 rotatably mounted on shaft 2i mounted in housing I8. A cam 28 is eccentrically mounted on shaft 2T. A lever 29 is rotatably mounted on housing I 8 at 30 and provided with a cam slot 3| therein. Cam 28 engages cam slot 3|. The knife blade I3 is slidably mounted for reciprocation in housing l8 and sieves 14' and has a slot and pin connection with lever 29 at 32. Blade I3 is disposed for reciprocative movement relative to the sieve and housing in a direction parallel to shafts 22 and 23. It i evident that rotation of shaft IT rotates the eccentric cam 28 which induces a reciprocation of knife blade I3.

A suitable open top drawer 38 is slidably mounted in housing l8 and adapted to collect rinds, seeds and other waste products for disposal.

In the operation of our device the fruit It enters through hopper II and is tangentially engaged on opposite sides thereof by sections of belt elements [2; These sections of the belts are moving downwardly in planes inclined toward each other whereby the grip on the fruit is increasing as it is drawn down into the device until it is moved into contact with reciprocating knife blade l3 which severs it. A hemispherical segment of the fruit is drawn still further downward by each belt element l2 and compressed against a sieve element It and the juices extracted therefrom. The extracted juices run through the openings 40 in sieve M and down trough l5 and out orifice I6. Belt element I2 then carries the remaining substantially solid components of the segment over the end of sieve [4 from which pointthey drop by gravity into drawer 38. i

movement for a fruit, said path having an entrantfirst portion and a pair of divergent portions which fork from said first portion, and a cutting element located adjacent to the intersection :of said divergent portions with said first portion in a plane containing the longitudinal axis of said path of movement at said intersection, said means including a pair of fixed diverging sieve members defining the adjacent inner sides of said divergent path portions and a pair of opposed belt elements defining said first portion of said path and the outer sides of said divergent path portions, said belt elements presenting opposed faces having portions which converge adjacent said first path portion and portions which diverge relative to each other adjacent said divergent portions of said path.

2. A device for extracting juices from fruit having means providing a predetermined path of movement for a fruit, said path having an entrant first portion and a pair of divergent portions which fork from said first portion, and a cutting element located adjacent to the intersection of said divergent portions with said first portion in a plane containing the longitudinal axis of said path of movement at said intersection, said means including a pair of fixed diverging sieve members defining the adjacent inner sides of said divergent path portions, a first set of rollers rotatably mounted on parallel axes on a first side of said path, a second set of rollers rotatably mounted on parallel axis on a second side of said path, the axes of said first and second sets of rollers each being parallel to the plane of said cutting element, a first belt carried by said first set of rollers, and a second belt carried by said second set of rollers, said belts defining the outer sides of said path and being operable to move a fruit through said first portion of said path and a segment thereof through each of said divergent portions of said path.

. 3. A device for extracting juices from fruit having means providing a predetermined path of movement for a fruit, said path having an entrant first portion anda pair of divergent portions which fork from said first portion, and a cutting elementlocated adjacent to the intersection of said divergent portions with said first portion in a plane containing the longitudinal axis of said path of movement at said intersection, said means including a pair of fixed diverging sieve members defining the adjacent inner sides of said divergent path portions and a pair of opposed belt elements defining said first portion of said path and the outer sides of said divergent path portions, said belt elements presenting opposed faces each having a substantially uniform dimension which is greater than the diameter of fruit from which it is proposed to extract juice.

4. A device for extracting juices from fruit having means providing a predetermined path of movement for a fruit, said path having an entrant first portion and a pair of divergent portions which fork from said first portion, and a cutting element located adjacent to the intersection of said divergent portions with said first portion in a plane containing the longitudinal axis of said path of movement at said intersection, said means including a pairof fixed diverging sieve members defining the adjacentinnen sides of said divergent path portions, a first set of rollers rotatably mounted on parallel, axescn a first side of said path, a second set of rollersrotatably mounted on parallel axes on a second side of said path, the axes of said first and sec-. ond sets of rollers each being parallel vto the plane of said cutting element, a first belt car-. ried by said first set of rollers, and a second belt carried by said second set of rollers, saidbelts defining the outer sides of said path and being. operable to move a fruit through said first portion of said path and a segment thereof through each of said divergent portions of said path, at least one of the rollers of each of said sets being. located adjacent one of said sieve members and a predetermined distance therefrom so that-a fruit segment traveling through either of said; divergent portions of said path passes throughla restricted portion of said path having a fixed width whereby a non-yielding pressure is applied. to said segment while the latteris adjacent said sieve member.

5. A device for extracting juices from fruit having means providing a predetermined path of movement for a fruit, said path having an entrant first portion, and a pair of divergent. portions which fork from said first portionyanda cutting element located adjacent to the inter-. section of said divergent portions with said first portion in a plane containing the longitudinal, axis of said path of movement at said intersecq tion, said means including a pair of fixed cliverg--v ing sieve members defining the adjacent inner sides of said divergent path portions and a pair I of opposed belt elements defining said first portion of said path and the outer sides of said divergent path portions, said belt elements presenting opposed faces having portions thereof which diverge relative to each other. 4

DAVID A. WALLACE. T RAYMOND E.- HEWLETT. A

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in, the, file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Hughes Mar. 8, 192711 

